MOON CAKE FESTIVAL

Another year has nearly gone by …suddenly realise that we had have 4 months left to go for Xmas again. Xmas did not mean much to me….i supposed ….I am more into typical Chinese season…still know where my root is!!! This time of the year we have our moon cake festival….which is coming soon…September. Last week, I went down to China Town …chinese shopper are busy packing up the moon cake box and stacking up ready to display. Well, im not really into sweet things, i think myself is already sweet enough…    and i hardly go to buy one of the moon cake to taste it! Partly because it is too expensive to buy in UK…and also moon cake festival are well celebrate with ‘KAKI’ friend and family. But i am not lucky enough to have both of them to celebrate…..so i have less mood to eat or buy moon cake. When i was child…eating mooncake are so much fun, plenty to share and eat…especially when the season coming, we will receive plenty box of mooncake from relative with different taste and favourite. Oh yeah, My favourite moon cake must contain of ‘duck salted egg’ inside. The taste of it are ‘ICHIBAN’… 

Well, not to forget to mention, moon cake festival also related to chinese valentine day. It is about chinese legend story of an angel from moon …she had falling in love with a men live on earth. Pity to say they only got a chance to meet each other on this special day..for more detail…check on net! i’m so lazy to tell you in so much detail.

NEW INTEREST

Most of my friends know I like to sing,….i’m the SONG BIRD OF ASIAN. Still remember when i was back home, i use to sing karaoke nearly every weekend with my close GANG! I almost addicted to singing, and tend to kill our time on the weekend by going to local Karaoke bar, especially when they serve HAPPY HOUR and it is cheap!!  We really have a good time there, singing, joking and laughing inside the private room. And I tend to use my UNIQUE voice to challenge the song……love to sing CHRIS ZI YI (taiwanese balladier) song ‘KAN LAN SU’….great lyrics…."dont ask me where i come from, my hometown is far far away,why i prefer travelling…travel to far far away…." Indeed…i have no choice…..

 

Always bear in mind that it is time to join the GYM, because i had spend a long hours sitting in front of the computer playing with my "mouse". Those sitting days making my stomach expand. The gym that I went to have a lot of different classes; YOGA, PILATES, SELF DEFENCE, MARTIAL ARTS, BODY TONING, SALSA DANCE AND STREET DANCE. After try the different classes, I had build my new interest on YOGA AND DANCE CLASS. Both of the classes are good for my aim,..Losing weight.  YOGA is not too bad at all, a lot of stretching and bending….but I find it is okay for me. Dance is a fast movement, keep forgetting to follow the steps, but this is a beginning for me…i hope i can do well in the near future.

CHINESE HUNGRY GHOST FESTIVAL

Recently, I call up a friend and he told me that the GHOST GATE is open next week, our hungry ghost will be release soon……

 

The Hungry Ghost Festival  is a popular occasion that is taken very seriously by the Chinese. On the fifteenth day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar, the Chinese community will celebrates the release of spirits from purgatory. They believe that the gates of hell are opened to free the hungry ghosts of their ancestors, and that these spirits then wander the earth in search of food for a whole month. We use to call it ‘POR THOR’…..In the month of ghost festival, we have many things to celebrate. Every families start to pray by offerings some rices, noodles, sweet meat or cakes or even burn the paper effigies of daily items for spirits to use after life. Street corners positively buzz with Chinese opera stage shows and even puppet shows!

 

I still remember clearly in my childhood period, my mum use to lead me to watch ‘Chinese opera’ during this ‘Hungry ghost festival’. Being such a long…… long time not having this opportunity to watch those of my favourite opera show. To be honest, i don’t understand the entire conversation or the song they sing on the stage!!  But it does not bored me at all….I felt so wanted to know what is the ending light.

 

I felt so happy to see the ‘MAKE UP’ of every artists….with different costumes and faces….that show something unusual and fascinating which I could never find it in UK!! I really miss my childhood period…..which i felt so innocence….My mum use to lead me to any different location neither from town to village just  to chase the opera show….Silly thing to do is I use to help my mum bring our chair and walk all the way to watch the show…..(this is because it is hard to grab a seat on the spot… some kind of VIP seat)…  and bringing the chair home when it finished.

 

The showing times are long, it normally start around 8pm till 12 am midnight. It is hard to stood for so many hours…but don’t know how i managed it that long during that times.     I recall sometime my mum is getting annoying with me …..I kept pulling her shirt wanted her to explain the whole story about. Most of the story are mainly chinese legend story. But to me….i felt hard to understand it….I only know there is some fighting show coming next when i hear the beat of drum playing faster.

 

The Stage lighting effect is nothing like ‘The Lord of the ring’ or ‘Harry porter’ in the movies with all using digital animation!!!

In here, you only get the real things, fluroescent lighting with some blue moody colour……indicate the night or the SNAKE OR DRAGON is going to appear soon… , scenery change with a big canvas painting rolling up and down from the backstage…..But this will do to me….it still satisfy me a lot to finish the show.

 

To my mum, ….I just wonder if this childhood memory still going to happen again??? Perhaps it will never happen to be the same   ……. But I am here still waiting….. if I got a chance i would prefer to go back during this ghost season…….I am here waiting my HELL GATE to release me to taste the your foods and come back home to reunion with you once again.

ARtificial Friendship

 

DO U NOTICED THAT IN OUR REAL LIFE WE DO HAVE AN ARTIFICIAL FRIENDSHIP?

Do WE need ARTIFICIAL FRIENDSHIP to add ARTIFICIAL FAVOUR IN OUR LIFE???

 I think everyone should had experienced  this type of artificial friendship before …..A VIRTUAL ‘friend’ of mine’ had text me for 3 years …never able to meet or going out together. I remember we live so close before, 2 stop train station, but it worse than 10,000 miles away friendship. Everytime he use  to text me and plan for meeting but it never happen,….either me waiting for half an hour with his phone switch off or simple get his text telling me he cannot come at the last minutes. OKay, U might think that how stupid I am being fool again, NEVER MIND…..  I  learn from this experiences, learn how to grow up and GET REAL!!!. Being entertain his text message for more 3 years, guess it is time for me  to end the game, GAMES OVER !   In reality this is not a real friendship, it is only a virtual friendship which u can easily get through the NET. That is nothing you will feel loss from losing him. It is only like an expired date of CAN food …..when the date comes, we dump…as simple as that !! simple and easy way to prevent food poisoning. To AVOID never ending drama story happen !!

 

LEAVING YOU (SESSION ROAD) LYRICS

I’m watching me make a fool of myself
Silently speaking my wish to be free
Turning my world inside out
Spin my emotions building my doubt

I fed on this strangeness plain and true
But there was nothing beneathe it i knew
I see myself falling falling from grace
My life fading without grace

I’m tired of waiting here fo you
Can’t waste my time, i’m leaving you

 

GLOBAL ISSUES-GLOBAL CITIES

GLOBAL  such a big word to describe LARGE!!

 

Yesterday, heading to TATE MODERN with friend, which has an exciting exhibition about the GLOBAL CITIES ISSUES. This exhibition focus on the TEN DYNAMIC INTERNATIONAL CITY….

Cairo, Istanbul, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Mumbai, São Paulo, Shanghai and Tokyo.

Exploring each city through five thematic lenses – speed, size, density, diversity and form. The exhibition was presented by artists in PHOTOGRAPHY, VIDEO AND FILM.

 

I was impressed of the presentation work by these artists. FILM are the easy way to grab our audiences attention and it allow us to understand what is the message trying to deliver to us . I noticed one of the Film about CAIRO city….which had leave a huge impact for me. And I start to realise that how lucky i am to live in LONdon CITY, which preserve a lot of green space. The film was start to show dweller in the city, use a SMALL PARK near the busy highway to entertain themself…having picnic, playing football. Although next to it is a busy and noisy highway. It formed as an unusual playground for them. Family members are gather here, bring their own foods and drinks to enjoy this tiny green park which hardly find elsewhere. The amazing thing was the camera capture one of the fat women with her traditional clothes trying to cross over the bumper of highway, struggle herself and her body to roll through the border line between highway and the park. According to them, each year many children who tried to cross the highway had been killed by a car accident . There are not pedestrian cross over or any overhead bridge. This green park is not designed for them to camping here. But things never change, people still love to socialise & risk their life in this tiny green space. Who are they going to blame?? Is the space created by people or people create the space??

 

This exhibition was about our growing cities in a changing world, 50% of people on earth living in a cities.

 

*Urban population growth from 10% (1900), 50% (2007) and expected 75%(2050)

*Concentration of people moving to city force the city growing faster ever than before.

*95% of urban growth will be in Africa and Asia

*Cities are becoming more connected

*Cities are growing upwards and downards.

*It raise the question :

*Can cities be improved by design?

*How can cities accommodate billions of New Urban dwellers?

*Does the shape of cities affect the future of our planet?

 

Well, if your love architecture or concern about global issue….this is good exhibition that u should not miss!!

COMPANY MATTER

Friend start to show me his blog and I find this is the easier way to know what is he up to lately. Got nothing particular to write…….Just start up with my WORK PLACE, different character, different nationality, different behavior, different attitude and style.

 

Love to working here, really????

Hmmm!! how do i start this…..okay….our office is down the basement of tall building, gosh….being working here a year still dont have any idea of how many storey in our building. Anyway….working in basement, we hardly see what is going on outside, got a small tiny row of window….whether is sunny or raining, it does not matter to me. Interior of the office is separate into two spaces, although we are an open office. there is a berlin wall /partition separate within us and form up like two department. The other side is a bit loud all the times, laughing, cheering up ….just like picnic or camping in the company…

 

I was seated in the quiet side of the department, merely to Library….boss are facing behind me. The worst area in the office is another end of the office, they are like quarantine area of the office, which had a lot english guy seated (including my another boss is seating at the end )….and also 3 new kids of the frog (new joining british staffs) sit there too. Haven’t got a chance to know them better yet….but first impression is they are not too playful….serious and it does okay to quarantine them in that area…hahaha. My own judgement! !

 

Two bosses are cool, one is more relax to talk to ..sometime do make fun of me…..and another one is okay but only sometime getting moody….like a english weather i suppose, hard to predict when will be the next thunder storm happen. Everybody know i am Ninja cat here!!! ought to behave quiet , avoid myself to hit by a thunder and became a thunder cat…

 

We have 2 lovely young office managers (british), one is laid back but with a good soft heart guy, being called as ‘MOTHER OF THE EARTH’, laughing all the time like laughing buddha, he like people to call him JIMMY rather than his real name… just like CAT like to called as KITTY. Hey, Does beautiful name change a person? Another one is so hard working, ENERGETIC, our office DIY and handy man. MR INCREDIBLE !!! Walking and doing thing had become his hobby in the office.

 

Our major staffs are British, 2nd larger population in our office are germans. There are four German here. 2 men and 2 women…..German women, quite dominated, controlled……women power presentor!!…sometime could be very technical….like women transformer. very straight forward….one is one …two is two…..u see what i mean? YA YA…….German man is rather cool, very dedicate to the job ….friendly….but shame !! Dont REALLY know how to make a joke. they are good listener. Like one of them, the SILENCE German Monk always listen to his ipod all the times (like the picture below)…. can’t resist it!

 

Our Indian GURU from INDIA!!! is my best mate in the company who share a lot of laugh together. May be because we come from Asia country, know our sense of humour and like to make joke of people. Never ending laughing when I sit next to him. FUNNY GUY WITH FUNNY THINKING. He has been once proposed to change our company to become a CYBER NET CAFE….so he can bring his own WEBCAM and have a all day long WEBCAM Chat !!! LOL….WHAT A COOL IDEA!!! He is very LOYALty to MSN & ARSENAL …chatting became his daily routines & EXCITING HOBBIT (HOBBY), never going to missed that!! CHATTING because of boring OR for FUN !!! I really need to find out from Him one day. Shame he is leaving the office soon, just leaving myself talk to myself….haha …..His philosophy is ‘RELAX ..DON’T DO IT..’

 

Our best french religion girl in the office…have funny character too, ….very special & lovely girl….with her strong french accent….when i find out she pronounce my name to DIELY….i wasn’t too impressed. So i have give her a new name to call me………Dee. Simple and easy…no more mistake & hussle …

 

Hot Latin american are famous of their friendly and easy to get on with….they accept my joke rather than think im crazy. Brazilian girl are far too sexy than me, always exposed her stomach to people…. which i really admire her. She does not care of anything …just keep listen to her spanish music and working, even the fire alarm on, she still sit there quietly and doesn’t move her arse from chair & run! Argentina lady….is such a sexy things in our company….but already been occupied, very nice lady, No attitude and easy to get on with….just know her for a short time…and we became a very close friend. Sitting together in one chair, sharing the laugh together. Find her easy to chat to….always like to have a private chat together with her to share the past experience.

 

Next we have kiwi girl, she give me an impression of super women type. Although she is my neighbour but we dont talk much. This is due to her nature is a bit workholic…keep concerntrate on her work…kiwi accent really hard to understand sometime.

 

Further down we have Mr nice guy (British) had just add a new member …produce a new kid in his family.  Hardly speak to him lately…… but he is a lovely guy to working with…..too much relax and no pressure. Make mr. Indian Guru like him even more.

 

Miss Hong Kong like to wearing her high hill/boot to the office….create such a noise in the office, especially we are not putting a carpet floor……Don’t mind if she can walk like ‘CHICAGO’ movie. Making a tip tap dance rhythm. She is nice lady, playful and laughing all the times, but dont get much chance to talk to her (she sit in another sides of the office).

 

Mr. Portugal…about my size & height. Crazy guy who can easily get on with, recently find out the volume of him are louder than before. He is kind of romantic guy, great kisser.hmmmm!! If his girl is in front of him, kissing show must be on! I called him KISSING FISH!! like to put him in the aquarium one day!

 

Mr. Ginger (british) like to talk through his nose, he can’t be block nose everyday!! but he is good chatter, the best sale man in the office. I’m impress of the way he leave a message in his client phone answering machine for 20mins. This is something i should learn for before taking a TOUR GUIDE exam!!

 

Mr Skinhead and skinny guy (british) is rather hard worker….dedicate to his job, dry sense of humour. Can’t beat him at all….wow, i would like to CLONE HIS DNA to other british staff as well. U KNOW WHAT I MEAN!!

 

COUGHING SPANISH GUY is leaving the office now, he is only here for short term intership training. Spanish blood doesn’t suit English Weather, so he ended up like coughing a month time in our office.Poor boy. Well, he is the most youngest in our office (19yrs old)….my god!!…so young, he can be my son!!

 

They are quite a few others staff as well, but most of the people are covered here. I wish my company will import more foreigner to work  in near future…they are more fun to be with….I also wish people who sit next to me (after INDIAN GURU leave) are not boring. This is to keep my CRAZY SPIRIT going!! Put finger cross, hope my dream come true!!

 

Nick was right, my company is like small dungeon house!